As she undertook her first official visit
to Portugal, Princess Leonor was given the Grand Cross of the
Military Order of Christ by President Marcelo Rebelo de
Sousa. The Order, which has three homonyms around the world
in the Holy See, the House of Orléans-Bragança and Kongo (an
ancient African Kingdom located in the territory of modern day
Angola), has very ancient origins, as it is one…
Sweet Caroline: the enlightenment princess who became one of Britain's most important queens
14th July 2024
She was a popular princess who became a
successful queen whose influence helped make vaccination an
important medical process. And yet her untimely death saw her
forgotten as the royal dynasty she helped form became more famous.
But this queen called Caroline had a sweet…
On a hot summer day in 1543, a young
widow married an ageing and much wed king in a ceremony that took
many by surprise. By the time Katherine Parr said ‘I do’ to Henry
VIII in the Queen’s Closet at Hampton Court Palace on July
12th 1543, his five previous unions and…
While some links between royal houses are
well known and rather close, others are a little more distant and
perhaps all the more interesting for that. And although the links
between Albert II and Charles III might be stretched, they are
still there. The connection between the House of Windsor and the
House of Grimaldi begins in the 19th century when Albert I, Prince
of Monaco married a British…
Many of Queen Victoria and Prince
Albert’s grandchildren married into various royal families across
Europe. Not all did, though. Princess Patricia of Connaught was the
daughter of Prince Arthur, Duke of Connaught and Strathearn and
Princess Margaret Louise of Prussia, and…
It’s rare to see a royal engagement ring
featuring an emerald. The striking stone features in very few of
these most romantic pieces of jewellery but it has a starring role
in the ring worn by a princess who will walk down the aisle at this
summer’s biggest royal…
While we often associate the French
royals with the Palace of Versailles and the Louvre Palace, they
owned far more than that over the centuries. The Palais-Royal in
Paris began as a cardinal’s palace but made its way into royal
hands. The Palais-Royal is in the 1st arrondissement of
Paris, on Rue Saint-Honoré. Architect Jacques Lemercier was
commissioned in the late 1620s to create a…
All royal jewels have interesting stories
attached to them. From modern designs to the historic pieces that
have accompanied monarchies through centuries, every royal gem
tells a tale. And one pretty tiara that has become a favourite of a
popular queen has an intriguing…
The symbolism of the first photos of King Charles with his Prime Minister, Sir Keir Starmer
5th July 2024
They are pictures for the history books
and ones that speak volumes. As King Charles III appointed a new
Prime Minister there were, of course, official images of the
moment. And they told their own story. The King held an audience
with Sir Keir Starmer just after noon on…
When Edward VII had headed to Biarritz
for a springtime break in 1908, his government had been under the
stewardship of Liberal Sir Henry Campbell-Bannerman. But his health
was failing fast and on April 3rd, he resigned. Herbert Asquith,
the Chancellor of the Exchequer, was selected as his successor
without opposition ensuring a smooth transition – with one small
obstacle. The king was still in…
